Gasket assembly with improved locating and retention pin and method of construction thereof

ABSTRACT

A gasket assembly and method of construction is provided. The assembly includes a carrier body having opposite planar surfaces with at least one media-conveying opening extending through the planar surfaces with at least one through opening spaced radially from the at least one media-conveying opening. Further, the carrier body has at least one projection formed of the material of the carrier body. The at least one projection extends from the at least one through opening outwardly from at least one of the planar surfaces. The assembly further includes an elastomeric material encapsulating the projection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This continuation application claims the benefit of U.S. Utilityapplication Ser. No. 12/972,907, filed Dec. 20, 2010 and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/287,848, filed Dec. 18, 2009, whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to gaskets used to establish a sealbetween two members clamped together, and more particularly to suchgaskets having location features received between the members beingclamped together.

2. Related Art

It is known to use gaskets between members being clamped together tofacilitate forming a reliable seal between the members being clampedtogether. It is further known to incorporate locating features on thegasket to facilitate properly orienting the gasket between the membersbeing clamped. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, a portion of a gasket assembly 1constructed in accordance with the known art is illustrated. The gasketassembly 1 has a metal gasket layer, referred to hereafter as carrier 2and a rubber locating feature 3 attached to the carrier 2. The carrier 2has opposite, planar sealing surfaces 4, 5 with a through opening 6extending straight through the carrier 2, thereby extending through theopposite sealing surfaces 4, 5. The rubber locating feature 3 is moldedas a separate piece of material from the metal carrier 2 in the throughopening 6. The locating feature 3 is molded having a bottom surface 7configured coplanar with the bottom sealing surface 5 so as to inhibitaffecting the ability to form a reliable seal when the gasket assembly 1is compressed between the members being clamped together. Further, thelocating feature 3 has an upstanding projection 8 extending upwardlyfrom the upper sealing surface 4. The upstanding projection 8 isconfigured for receipt in an opening in one of the members being clamped(not shown). Accordingly, when the upstanding projection 8 is receivedin the opening of the member being clamped, the gasket 10 istheoretically assured of being in the proper orientation between themembers being clamped, thereby providing added assurance that a reliableseal is being established between the members being clamped together bythe gasket assembly 1.

Unfortunately, as illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 1C, during assembly of thegasket assembly 1 between the members being clamped, a vertical forcecomponent F_(V) (FIG. 1B) and/or a lateral force component F_(L) (FIG.1C) can deflect the locating feature 3 in an undesirable manner, therebyhaving a potentially negative affect on the ability to properly orientthe gasket assembly 1 during assembly. Accordingly, if the gasketassembly 1 is improperly located (i.e. shifted relative to the membersbeing clamped) during assembly, the integrity of the seal formed betweenthe members may be compromised. As can be seen in FIG. 1B, the verticalforce component F_(V) can cause the locating feature 3 to becomecompressed axially such that the bottom surface 7 extends below thesealing surface 5 of the carrier 2, which in turn can impact the abilityto form a reliable seal. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, the lateralforce component F_(L) can cause the locating feature 3 to become skewedlaterally such that the upstanding portion 8 becomes misaligned relativeto a central axis 9 of the through opening 6. Further, the lateral forcecomponent F_(L) can cause at least a portion of the bottom surface 7 toextend below the sealing surface 5 of the carrier 2, both of which canadversely impact the ability to form a reliable seal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A gasket assembly includes a carrier body having opposite planarsurfaces with at least one media-conveying opening extending through theplanar surfaces with at least one through opening spaced radially fromthe at least one media-conveying opening. Further, the carrier body hasat least one projection formed of the material of the carrier body. Theat least one projection extends from the at least one through openingoutwardly from at least one of the planar surfaces. The assembly furtherincludes an elastomeric material encapsulating the projection.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a gasket assemblyincludes a carrier body having opposite planar surfaces with at leastone media-conveying opening extending between the opposite planarsurfaces. At least one recessed surface extends into one of the oppositeplanar surfaces in spaced relation from the at least one media-conveyingopening. The carrier body further includes a through opening extendingthrough the at least one recessed surface. The assembly further includesa projection extending outwardly from one of the opposite planarsurfaces, wherein the projection is constructed of an elastomericmaterial substantially filling the recessed surface.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method ofconstructing a gasket assembly is provided. The method includesproviding a metal carrier body having opposite planar surfaces andforming at least one media-conveying opening extending between theplanar surfaces. Further, forming at least one through opening extendingbetween the planar surfaces in radially spaced relation from themedia-conveying opening. In addition, forming a metal projectionextending from the through opening outwardly from at least one of theplanar surfaces. Then, molding a locating/retention feature of anelastomeric material about the projection.

A gasket assembly constructed in accordance with the invention overcomesthe drawbacks discussed above with regards to FIGS. 1A-1C. Inparticular, a gasket constructed in accordance with the inventionprevent deformations as described and shown in FIGS. 1B-1C. Accordingly,a gasket constructed in accordance with the invention does not distortunder a vertical force as shown in FIG. 1B, nor does it distort under alateral force as shown in FIG. 1C. As such, the distortion problemsassociated with the prior art gasket shown in FIG. 1A, which causefailure modes associated to the retention and location function areovercome by a gasket constructed in accordance with the invention. Inaccordance with one aspect of the invention, a stiff, rigid metalprojection formed as one piece with the gasket body prevents verticaland lateral distortion to the locating/retention feature underrespective vertical and lateral loads. In accordance with another aspectof the invention, the elastomeric locating/retention feature isprevented from distorting as shown in FIGS. 1B-1C via a reduced sizethrough opening underlying the elastomeric material, which prevents theelastomeric material from being pushed through the through opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention willbecome more readily appreciated when considered in connection with thefollowing detailed description of presently preferred embodiments andbest mode, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate a partially cross-sectional view of a gasketassembly constructed in accordance the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carrier body of a gasket assembly constructedin accordance with one aspect of the invention

FIG. 2A is a plan view of a gasket assembly including the carrier bodyof FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the carrier body taken generallyfrom the encircled area 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the gasket assembly takengenerally from the encircled area 4 of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the gasket assembly taken generallyalong the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the gasket assembly taken generallyalong the line 5A-5A of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate partial cross-sectional views of a gasket assemblyconstructed in accordance with further aspects of the invention takengenerally along a similar line as shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 2A illustrates a gasketassembly 10 constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention.The gasket assembly 10, by way of example and without limitation, isrepresented as a water pump gasket, wherein the gasket 10 is clampedbetween a pair of members to be sealed, e.g. water pump housing andcover. The gasket 10 has at least one metal gasket body, also referredto as layer, and referred to here after as carrier layer or carrier body12 (FIG. 2), with at least one elastomeric sealing bead 14 attached inbonded relation thereto. The sealing bead 14 is configured to form afluid tight seal about one or more media-conveying openings 16. Toensure a reliable, fluid tight seal is established, the carrier body 12is configured to prevent over compression of the sealing bead 14, suchas by having regions with a controlled thickness. To further facilitateforming a reliable fluid tight seal, the gasket assembly 10 has at leastone, and preferably a plurality of locating/retention features, referredto hereafter as features 18. The features 18 act to both locate andretain the gasket assembly 10 in a precise location relative to at leastone of the members being clamped together, thereby providing addedassurance that the gasket assembly 10 is properly positioned between themembers both during and upon completing assembly, thus forming areliable fluid-tight seal between the clamped members.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier body 12 has an annular inner portion 17and an annular outer portion 19 spaced from one another by an annulargap extending circumferentially between the portions 17, 19. The innerportion 17 is fixed to the outer portion by a plurality of bridges 21extending across the annular gap 23, wherein the inner portion 17, outerportion 19 and bridges 21 are formed of a monolithic, single piece ofmaterial. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer portion 19 has a pair ofopposite upper and lower planar sealing surfaces, referred to hereafteras planar surfaces 20, 22. The inner and outer portions 17, 19 bound atleast one media-conveying opening 16, wherein the media-conveyingopening extends through the carrier body 12. One of the media conveyingopenings 16 is shown as being bounded by a portion of the inner portion17 and a portion of the outer portion 19, such as to form an inletmedia-conveying opening, while another media conveying opening 16 isshown as being formed in and bounded entirely in the inner portion 17,such as to form an outlet opening in which an impeller of a water pumpis received, for example.

To provide the feature or features 18, the carrier body 12 has throughopenings 26 corresponding in number to the features 18, wherein thethrough openings 26 are shown as being formed in the outer portion 19and spaced radially outwardly from the inner portion 17 and themedia-conveying openings 16. Upon forming the through openings 26, anupstanding, rigid projection 28 is automatically formed from the upsetmaterial of the carrier body 12, wherein the projection 28 extends fromthe through opening 26 outwardly and generally transversely from one ofthe planar surfaces, shown here by way of example as being the uppersurface 20. The projection 28 is formed having a semi-annular, and shownby way of example as a semi-cylindrical wall 29. The term “semi” inintended to mean partial and not necessarily half, though it could behalf, and is shown as extending between about 200-270 degrees, althoughthe range could be slightly greater or slightly less. The wall 29extends upwardly from the surface 20 a predetermined height (h) (FIG. 5)such that upon assembly, the projection 28 does not interfere with themember in which it is received.

To facilitate forming a portion of the locating/retention features 18and the sealing bead 14, the outer portion 19 of the carrier body 12 isconstructed having a recessed channel 30 in at least one of the oppositeplanar surfaces 20, 22, wherein the recessed channel 30 is shown here asbeing formed in the upper surface 20 and extending partially through thethickness of the carrier body 12. Accordingly, the recessed channel 30has a floor or bottom surface 31 raised above the lower planar surface22 such that the floor 31 provides an intermediate planar surfaceextending generally parallel to the upper and lower planar surface 20,22 between the planar surfaces 20, 22. The recessed channel 30 isconstructed, such as in a coin operation, by way of example and withoutlimitation, extending between an inner periphery 33 of the outer portion19 and the through opening 26, and is shown in one location as extendingfrom the inlet media conveying opening 16 to the through opening 26, andin another location as extending between the gap 23 and the throughopening 26. The recessed channel 30 provides a conduit or flow path forelastomeric material used in construction of an outer elastomericportion 32 of the feature 18 and the sealing bead 14. Accordingly,depending on the flow rate desired, such as in a injection moldingprocess, the channel or channels 30 can be sized, i.e. depth and width,as desired.

Each feature 18 is constructed of both the stiff metal projection 28 andthe outer elastomeric portion 32. The metal projection 28 provides adesired degree of strength and rigidity to the feature 18, along withfacilitating location, thereby preventing the type of distortion shownin FIGS. 1B-1C, while the outer elastomeric portion 32 provides thedesired precision locating and retention aspects to locate and retainthe gasket assembly 10 to the respective attached member. To furtherenhance the strength and rigidity of the projection 28, a predeterminedamount of crush strength is provided via the arcuate, semi-annulargeometry of the projection wall 29. In contrast, if the projection wall29 were a substantially flat wall or tang, it would not have as great ofstrength and rigidity against being deformed or otherwise inadvertentlybent from its “as manufactured” upstanding configuration.

As indicated above, to facilitate attachment and retention of the gasketassembly 10 to the one of the members (not shown) being clampedtogether, the elastomeric portion 32 is formed about the projection 28,such as in a molding process, wherein the projection 28 is completely orsubstantially encapsulated within the elastomeric portion 32. As bestshown in FIG. 5, the elastomeric portion 32 extends and transitionssmoothly from the projection wall 29 into a flush or substantially flushrelation with the upper surface 20 of the carrier body 12. Theelastomeric portion 32 is configured, in its “as molded” configuration,to be retained within a predetermined size pocket of one of the membersbeing clamped together. In addition, to further facilitate retention,the elastomeric portion 32 preferably has an annular bulbous region 34that is sized for a line-to-line or slight interference fit within thepocket of the member. The bulbous region 34 is shown extending radiallyoutwardly between an upper, radially inwardly tapered region 35 and alower radially inwardly extending valley 37. As such, during assembly,the tapered region 35 facilitate initial entry of the feature 18 intothe respective pocket of the member, while the valley 37 allows theelastomer material to flow axially as needed during interference of thebulbous region 34 with the wall of the pocket or receptacle. Inaddition, to facilitate assembly, the bulbous region 34 is formed havingat least one, and shown as a plurality of scallops (three equally spacedscallops), also referred to as recessed sectors 41 to allow air toreadily evacuate the respective pocket or receptacle upon being disposedtherein. If not for the recessed sectors 41, a pressure build up ofcompressed air between the bulbous region 34 and the pocket couldprevent the gasket from being properly positioned during assembly.

In manufacture, the carrier body 12, having had the through opening 26and projection 28 already formed therein, is disposed in a mold cavitywith a mold injection sprue or sprues of the mold machine extendingupwardly in generally coaxial alignment with a central axis 36 of eachof the through openings 26. Additional injection sprues can beincorporated as desired to provide the needed flow of elastomericmaterial. For example, the gasket body 12 can be formed havingadditional injection points, such as shown by recesses 43 in the innerportion 17, for example. The mold cavity is formed having the desirednegative shape of the elastomeric portion 32 to be formed about theprojection 28. As the melted elastomeric material is injected throughthe through openings 26, it is caused to flow through the channel 30,whereupon it flows through the annular gap 23 to form the seal bead 14located between the inner portion 17 and the outer portion 19 and aboutthe outer periphery 45 of the inner portion 17 to form in part the sealbead 14 about the inlet opening 16, which is also formed in part byelastomeric material bonded to the inner periphery 33 of the outerportion 19. Accordingly, upon completing the molding process, theelastomeric portions 32 and the seal bead 14 are connected as acontinuous, monolithic piece of the elastomeric material via a bridge 39of the elastomeric material. It should be recognized that the sealingbead 14 can be formed having any suitable geometry, depending on theapplication. Desirably, the sealing bead 14 has a portion extendingoutwardly beyond the opposite surfaces 20, 22 (above the upper surface20 and below the lower surface 22), such that upon clamping the membersinto abutment with the carrier body 12, the sealing bead 14 is caused toelastically deform into sealed abutment with sealing surfaces of themembers being clamped together.

In constructing the gasket assembly 10, the substantially flat carrierbody 12 is cut to shape, thereby being provided with the desiremedia-conveying openings 16 and through openings 26, such as in astamping operation, for example. The channels 30 can then be formed,such as in a coining operation, though other machining operations couldbe used, e.g. milling. The projections 28 are also formed, such as bybeing drawn from the material immediately adjacent the through openings26, wherein the drawing can be performed in a progressive drawingprocess. As such, the thickness of the walls forming the projections 28is reduced from the material thickness extending between the oppositesurfaces 20, 22 of the carrier body 12. The formed carrier body 12 isthen placed in the mold cavity, wherein the elastomeric material isinjected through the mold injection sprue upwardly into thesemi-cylindrical projection 28. With the semi-annular projection havingan opening, also referred to as slot 38, aligned with and facing thechannel 30 in open fluid communication therewith, and further, with theremaining portion of the projection being enclosed by the walls of themold cavity, the elastomeric material is forced under pressure to fillthe mold cavity, thereby causing the elastomeric material to flowcompletely about the projection 28. As such, the projection 28 isencapsulated by the elastomeric material. At the same time, theelastomeric material is caused to flow under pressure through thechannel 30 and about an inner periphery of the media-conveying opening16, thereby forming the sealing bead 14 as a single, monolithic piece ofmaterial with the elastomeric portion 32 of the locating/retentionfeature 18.

FIGS. 6-9 show portions of respective gasket assemblies 110, 210, 310,410 constructed in accordance with other embodiments of the invention inviews similar to FIG. 5, wherein reference numerals offset by a factorof 100, 200, 300, and 400, respectively, are used to identify likefeatures as discussed above.

In FIG. 6, the gasket assembly 110 is shown being constructed similarlyas discussed with regard to the assembly 10, however, an elastomericportion 132 substantially encapsulating a projection 128 terminates onan outer portion of the projection 128 and thus, does not flow into asmooth, flush transition with a planar surface 120 of a carrier body112, but remains spaced axially above the planar surface 120.Accordingly, differences in the mold cavity are needed to attain thestructure shown in FIG. 6. Otherwise, the gasket assembly 110 issubstantially the same, and thus, is not discussed further.

In FIG. 7, the gasket assembly 210 is shown being constructeddifferently from the assembly 10 in that there is no projection formedon a carrier 212 of the assembly 210. Rather, a locating/retentionfeature 218 is formed entirely of an elastomeric material in a moldingprocess. As such, to prevent the problems discussed with regard to theprior art of FIGS. 1A-1C, the carrier body 212 has a through opening 226with a substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of theelastomeric locating/retention feature 218. Further, the carrier body212 has an annular recessed surface 40 extending about the throughopening 226, wherein the recessed surface 40 can be formed in a coiningprocess, by way of example and without limitation. Accordingly, thedesired size of the through opening 226 is finalized upon upsetting themetal material of the gasket body 212 in the coining process. Otherwise,if the recessed surface 40 is formed in a machining process, forexample, then the through opening 226 can be punched to size, as thefinished size of the through opening 226 will not change upon beingpunched, or otherwise formed, e.g. drilled. With the through opening 226being substantially reduced in diameter from the overlying elastomericlocating/retention feature 218, an applied vertical force componentF_(L) and lateral force component F_(L) do not cause the elastomericmaterial to be pushed downwardly through the through opening 226. Duringmolding, the elastomeric locating/retention feature 218 attains the sameexternal configuration as discussed with regard to the assembly 10,wherein the elastomeric material transitions smoothly in flushtransition with a planar surface 220 of the carrier body 212. However,unlike the assembly 10, the elastomeric material fills the recessedsurface 40, wherein the recessed surface 40 acts to absorb verticallyand laterally applied forces to the locating/retention feature 218.Accordingly, the reduced diameter through opening 226 and the recessedsurface 40 prevent the type of distortion shown in FIGS. 1B-1C fromoccurring. Otherwise, the gasket assembly 210 is substantially the same,and thus, is not discussed further.

In FIG. 8, the gasket assembly 310 is shown having a carrier body 312with opposite planar surfaces 320, 322. A locating/retention feature 318is formed in part from an upstanding projection 328 formed from themetal material of the carrier body 312 and in part from an elastomericportion 332 formed of an elastomeric material. The upstanding projection328 is formed having a through opening, also referred to as thoughpassage 326, extending therethrough, through which the elastomericmaterial flows while molding the elastomeric portion 332. The projection328, rather than having a cylindrical configuration as discussed withthe embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-6, is generally cup or bowl-shaped,having an upper plateau surface 42 through which the through passage 326is formed. The elastomeric portion 332 is bonded to the projection 328and extends upwardly from the plateau surface 42 away from the uppersurface 320 and also fills the through opening 326 and also a concaveregion 44 establish immediately beneath the plateau surface 42, with thethrough opening 326 providing a flow path for the melted elastomericmaterial therebetween during manufacture. Accordingly, the plateausurface 42 acts as a barrier to the potential downward pushing movementof the elastomeric portion 332 from a vertical force, while theprojection 328 acts as a barrier to lateral movement of the elastomericportion 332 from a lateral force, thus, preventing thelocating/retention feature 318 from undergoing the type of distortionshown in FIGS. 1B-1C. Otherwise, the gasket assembly is substantiallythe same, and thus, is not discussed further.

In FIG. 9, the gasket assembly 410 is shown having a carrier body 412with opposite planar surfaces 420, 422 with a locating/retention feature418 formed entirely of an elastomeric material, such as in a moldingprocess. The carrier body 412 has an annular recessed surface 46extending upwardly into the lower planar surface 422 with a throughopening 426 extending through the recessed surface 46 through the upperplanar surface 420. The elastomeric locating/retention feature 418 ismolded such that the elastomeric material fills the recessed surface 46in substantially coplanar relation with the lower surface 422 andextends upwardly through the through opening 426. The feature 418 isprovided with an outer periphery having annular stepped retention rings48, shaped similarly to a Christmas tree, for example. The retentionrings 48 are configured for receipt in a female pocket 50 of anoverlying member 52 to be clamped. Accordingly, upon thelocation/retention feature 418 being disposed in the pocket 50, thegasket assembly 410 is maintained in its proper position relative to themember 52.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of constructing a gasket assembly,comprising: providing a metal carrier body having opposite planarsurfaces; forming at least one media-conveying opening extending betweenthe planar surfaces; forming at least one through opening extendingbetween the planar surfaces in radially spaced relation from themedia-conveying opening; forming a metal projection having asemi-annular wall extending from the through opening outwardly from atleast one or the planar surfaces; and molding a locating/retentionfeature of an elastomeric material to encapsulate the projection and tofill and close the through opening.
 2. The method of claim 1 furtherincluding forming a recessed channel extending outwardly from thethrough opening of the carrier body and injecting the elastomericmaterial through the channel during the molding operation.
 3. The methodof claim 2 further including injecting the elastomeric material from arubber injection sprue extending substantially coaxially along a centralaxis of the through opening.
 4. The method of claim 2 further includingforming the recessed channel extending between the media conveyingopening and the through opening of the carrier body.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 further including molding a seal bead extendingcircumferentially about the media-conveying opening from the elastomericmaterial flowing through the channel.
 6. The method of claim 5 furtherincluding forming the carrier body having an annular inner portion andan annular outer portion spaced from one another by an annular gap andfixing the inner portion to the outer portion by a plurality of bridgesextending across the annular gap.
 7. The method of claim 6 furtherincluding molding a seal bead within the gap from the elastomericmaterial flowing through the channel.
 8. The method of claim 1 furtherincluding forming the metal projection having an upper plateau with athough passage extending therethrough and injecting the elastomericmaterial though the through passage.
 9. The method of claim 2 furtherincluding substantially filling the recessed channel with theelastomeric material.
 10. The method of claim 1 further includingmolding the elastomeric material to extend substantially flush with atleast one of the planar surfaces.